This invention relates to the modification of known heavy duty pliers to include specially designed adjustable means for stripping insulation from an insulated wire.
Electricians use the squared nose side cutter plier the most. They use it to pull wires and trim wires to length. It is time consuming to reach for a separate stripping tool or knife to remove the wire's insulation to make a connection. Thus, with a pair of pliers having a built-in stripping head, the electrician can efficiently pull, trim and strip wire in one operation. This tool can be used on any wire, either solid or stranded, in a range of sizes generally from 22 to 8 AWG.
The invention is shown as being embodied in a pair of pliers having jaw portions which include gripping surfaces and cutting edges, if desired, each jaw portion being integral with a respective handle portion, the jaws and handles constituting arms said portion being cross in a pivot portion which are provided with coplanar land areas on at least one side of the tool. The two stripping jaws are mounted, one on each of said land areas in position to be opened and closed by small opening and closing movements of the pliers.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tool wherein the stripping jaws extend in a direction perpendicular to the body of the pliers so that the electrician's hand gripping the tool is parallel to the wire and can exert more force to pull off the insulation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool wherein the side of the pliers' body can be used as a guide to slide the wire inside the open stripping jaw, thus automatically centering the wire between the jaws.
It is another object of the invention to provide a stripping tool wherein the jaws have a low profile which permits the pliers to be carried in a standard pouch tool holder.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a tool having its elements so constructed and arranged that the foregoing and other objects may effectively be obtained.